B2B is a weird term, really. Because it relates to as broad a range of industries as B2C. From ice cream to streaming apps in B2C, for B2B that could read as accountancy services to industrial automation equipment.
There’s not always a great deal of similarities across B2B sectors given how broad a church it is. But one thing that’s a common thread – at least in the industrial end of B2B we work in – is that there’s usually a technical angle or complexity to what’s being sold. Which in turn means your marketing agency needs to be quick on the uptake to properly understand what you do. If they’re not, you’re going to spend hours and days going round in circles on amends that they should have known about in the first to what you’re trying to achieve.
It’s a common problem for in-house marketers, and a massive source of frustration for them. Yes, every agency worth their salt will promise to conduct a thorough immersion process. But without the right people doing that, the risk is that everything you say will fall on deaf ears or get misconstrued – you’ll go through the motions and the next week you’ll be repeating yourself.
We hear you.
Balancing cohesion with relevancy
The root of the issue isn’t necessarily the process, but the human side of how that process is implemented. Fundamentally, if the people working for your agency aren’t interested in your industry or sector it’s always going to be more difficult for them to get a full understanding of what you do. Which in turn makes it crucial that agencies are careful with who they hire. We find it’s important to find the G spot during the recruitment process. That’s G for geek by the way – get your mind out of the gutter. That means we’re after people with a geeky interest in absolutely anything and everything.
Any facet of life. How a washing machine works. Who invented socks. What bees are made of. Why Geddy Lee’s voice is so high. It’s easy to spot when you’re attuned to it – start talking about something really nerdy with someone and see how they react. Do they lean forward eagerly or sit back with glazed eyes, nodding politely?
It’s that kind of natural thirst for knowledge that’s so important to understanding clients, and translates to an immersion process that’s not only structured but also results in your agency learning something they can then start applying to make your life easier. Who’d have thought it.
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